Episode 27: Empowering the volunteer – A conversation with Sakshi Bansal, UNESCO Kindness Leader

This special podcast episode features Sakshi Bansal, recipient of the 2021 ABP Chair’s Award for Excellence in Business Psychology, in recognition of her pioneering work as founder of Project LEAP. In conversation with Alex Forsythe, Sakshi gives a fascinating description of how she took LEAP from small beginnings to an initiative with world-wide impact, something that has been recognised by UNESCO in making her its first Kindness Leader. Sakshi outlines the practical steps she has taken to motivate, train and enable the volunteer community. She also discusses Kindness as a concept and, more generally, highlights the need for business psychology to take a strategic, technology-driven and multi-disciplinary approach.Sakshi has received the 2022 Diana Award, the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. She works as a Consultant at Saville Assessment and, among a wide range of voluntary roles and responsibilities, is President of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Council for Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Alex Forsythe is Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of Wolverhampton, and Chair of the ABP.